While much of the hype about this Sunday’s Super Bowl has focused on Coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, who will make NFL history as the first brothers to square off in a championship, a recent Nielsen/E-Poll study looks at how consumers perceive some of the key players who are about to take the field.

Though the rosters of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens have many similarities, the N-Score study found notable differences with respect to the marketability of individual players. One game-changing play on the biggest sports stage, however, can have a huge impact on endorsement possibilities.

Key findings include:

• The Ravens have three players who are among the top 50 NFL players with N-Score rankings: Ray Lewis (42), Michael Oher (29) and Ray Rice (19). The 49ers have only two: Patrick Willis (16) and Randy Moss (15).
• According to the poll, Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher is the most appealing personality taking the field this Sunday. In fact, 68 percent of respondents found Oher to be appealing, tying him with Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) as the most appealing player among all active NFL players.
• Respondents also view Oher as the most down-to-earth player in Super Bowl XLVII. Thirty-four percent of people think this player, made famous by the movie the Blind Side, is down to earth—the highest among active NFL players.
• Respondents view the core of the Ravens defense—linebackers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis, and safety Ed Reed—as the most aggressive on either team. Forty-one percent of people think Suggs is aggressive, while 39 percent find both Lewis and Reed to be.
• The most aggressive player on the 49ers? Outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who 38 percent of people think is aggressive. People also view Smith as the most exciting (38%) and most dynamic (30%).
• Both teams’ workhorse running backs, the Raven’s Ray Rice and the 49ers’ Frank Gore, top their respective team’s list as being viewed as the most physically fit. Almost three quarters of people think Rice is physically fit (72%), tying him with the Detroit Lion’s Calvin Johnson as the fittest among active players. Gore isn’t too far behind—61 percent of people think Gore is physically fit.
• Injured 49ers’ wide receiver Mario Manningham won’t be playing in the Super Bowl, but he still ranks at the top among both teams as being the most talented. Fifty-eight percent of people think Manningham is talented.

N-Score Methodology

Using the combined research expertise of Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, N-Score is an in-depth look at a sports figure’s overall endorsement potential, factoring in the attributes and demographic measures that align brands with endorsers. Each individual N-Score National survey is administered to 1,100 people within that panel via the internet. The sample is representative of the general population based on gender, income, age and education.